Fish-plate connection for rail-joints



(No Model.)

G. W. EDDY. FISH PLATE CONNECTION FOR RAIL JOINTS. No. 463,419. Patented Nov. 17,1891.

v ag r/4 1 5:4 2' )2 r YNfTNESEES N N R v d; 275% W UNITED'- STATES PATENT GEORG w'. EDDY, E WATERFORD, NEW YORK.

-FlS H PL ATE CON N EC.TIQN FOR RAIL-JOINTS.

sPEomoATIoiv formingpart of Letters Patent No. 463,419, dated lhl'ovember 17, 1891.

' Application filed January 25,1889; Serial No. 297,502. (No model.) 7 I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. EDDY, of

- the, village of Waterford, county of Saratoga,

State of New York, have invented new and ducing a railway-track; andit is the object and purpose 01; my invention to give to such a connection by construction an elastic condition in a direction that will not weaken its binding strength. l

Accompanying this specification to form a "part of it thereis a sheet of drawings con-.

tainingfour figures illustrating my invention with the same designation of parts by letterreference used in all of them.

, ()f the illustrations, Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a rail-joint made by the use of my improvement. Fig. 2 shows a side elevationofthe same parts that are shown at Fig.

l, but with the opposite sides of the partsturned toward the sight. Fig. 3 shows a section taken on the lines a: w of Fig. l and 2. Fig. 4 shows a section of the shoe, illustrated as separated from the connection with the position of the side flanges of the shoe when ,sprung down by the application of the fishplate proper indicated by a dotted line.

The several parts of the mechanism thus illustrated are designated by letters of reference, and the functions of the parts are described as follows: I A

Theletters R R designate the rail ends where they abut to make the connection.

j The letter T designates the'tread' of the rail, W the waists thereof, and Bit-he base of the rails, all of which are of the usual and ordinary form of construction.

The letter S designates the shoe, having a form that is adapted to receive the base of the rail ends, and this shoe is constructed I with side flanges F, that are made to curve up and'around the laterally-extended sides of the rail-base tobe in contact with the waists thereof, but' not in contact with the upper surfaces of the base where it laterally subtends the rail-waists at each side of the rails. The letters Pde signate thefish-plates proper,

useful Improvements in Fish-Plate Connec-' and each of which are made with a top in wardly and-downwardly beveled edge e, and

edge 6 the top beveled edge of which is of which there is one at each side of the joint,-

an upwardly and inwardly beveled bottom adapted to engage with the under surface of the overhanging tread and the bottom beveled edge to engage with the shoe-flange F at each side of the connection.

The letters Ddesigna'te bolts having heads H anll threaded ends provided with. nuts N,

and D bolts having. headed ends H and threaded opposite ends provided with nuts N said nuts N as well as the nutsN having angular faces f.

The letter P designates a supplemental fish-plate, made shorter; than the fish-plate proper and adapted to be applied exteriorly to the latter between the nuts N on the bolts D The letter K designates a key-plate that is attached to the supplemental fish-platei P on the outer face of the latter, and the let ter K designates a key that is pivoted to the key-plate at 19. Both the supplemental fishplate and the key-plate and key are arranged on that side of the joint at which the nutsN and N are used. The keyK is adapted-to be turned down on its pivotal connectiomso as to rigidly engage with the side of the shoe where turned up' and over the side of the base to form the'fiange F and rest within the" depression cl formed therein.

The parts thus constructed are connected as follows: The rail ends are entered through the opposite ends of the shoe S, so as to bring them as. near together as is desirable when the bolts D are passed through the holes 0 made in the rail-waists and coincidently in the fish-plate proper with the nuts N of the bolts screwed up so as to bring the fish-plates proper within the rail-waists at each side, and so that the lower edge e mof each of the said plates will engage with the upper surface of the inturned edge of one of the flanges F, and so as to crowd the latter (against its recoil vforce) toward the top surface of the sides of the base. After this is done the bolts D 'are passed throughtheholes 0 made in the rail ting against the mental fishplate to the fish-plate proper where adjacent and the'rails to the two latter, with the ends angular faces f of the nuts N when the key-plate K and the key K are then applied to keep the latter from turn ing. After the parts have beenmrranged as thus described, then the key K is turned down so as to engage with the shoe'where passing around the sides of the base. As thus-constructed and arranged the connection made between the shoe, the fishplate proper, and

the rails as occurring between the engaging lower edge of the fish-plate proper and the yielding edges of the flanges made upon the shovside is in a slight degree elastic when pressure is applied to the rail-treads and suflifish-plates proper with the shoe-flanges without loosening. The shoe S is made of elastic of the supplementalfish-plateabutmade with bolt-passages in the opposite sides of the rail-waists,

D D,havingheads metal to adaptit for the purposes before described. a

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

Ina fish-plate connection for rail-joints, the a combination of the shoe S, made with the 5 elastic flanges F, the fish-plate proper P P,

lateral alignment with bolt-passages made in therail ends, and each having the upper beveled edge e and the lowerbeveled edge e and arranged within 0 the supplemental fish-plate I, made with boltrpassages inl teral alignment with bolt-passages in the rails and constructed with the keyplate K and pivoted key K,

s H and provided with nuts and threaded ends, substantially in the manner as and for the purposes set forth.

Signed at the city of Troy this 8th day of November, 1888, and in the presence of the 50 two witnesses-whose names are hereto written.

I GEORGE W. EDDY. Witnesses:

N. E. Haeas, CHARLES S. BRINTRALLF and the bolts-45 

